EDITOR'S NOTE: Irregular columnist and indie comics creator Gary Scott Beatty checks in
this time with an exploration of banned VHS Horror Movies. A suitable topic for these
stay-at-home times . . . . . . . .
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How did I discover David Cronenberg's (Scanners, Videodrome) movie Rabid (1977) with Marilyn Chambers (Yes, that Marilyn Chambers)? I heard about the Video Nasties list. Thank you, Nightmare University podcast!
Due to the explosion of the video cassette market in the '70s, video stores were flooded with low-budget horror films. While we were enjoying these videos in the United States, censorship advocate Mary Whitehouse pushed for prosecution of store owners in the United Kingdom.
Out of this came the Video Nasties list of banned VHS movies. It turns out many of the good (and wonderfully bad) horror movies I've been enjoying are on this list.
Well known titles like Dawn of the Dead, Friday the 13th, Phantasm, and The Hills Have Eyes. Lesser known gems like Christmas Evil, Martin, and Alice Sweet Alice. Plus Dario Argento films.
Of course, like the fans in the '70s when these VHS tapes were removed from stores, I have to see them all! I found the list on Wikipedia and identified a few on TubiTV.com to get me started. (Note: Many of these titles have been reused for modern films. Be sure the movie you pick is from the 1970s or 1980s. Otherwise, you're watching a remake. And Gary says remakes suck.)
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For a conversation about Video Nasties with a man who was a young collector of them in Britain at the time, and a member of the fan base that kept these films alive, tune in to Dr. Rebekah McKendry's recent podcast, Nightmare University: Video Nasties with David Gregory.
This is an all around wonderful podcast you may want to put in your listening rotation. You can listen to Nightmare University on Fangoria.com if you subscribe to the site, or anywhere you listen to podcasts, like iTunes, or the audioboom site here.
Be amazed by the power of fandom!
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I'm still busy adding dramatic colors to Terry Cronin's The Healing book chapters, so the world is as usual for me -- until I venture outside. Chris Ware's recent comic page in The New Yorker is hilarious and spot on about what it's like working from home. "Finally, my life style has been vindicated!" Enjoy Self-Isolating: A Pandemic Special here.
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Outside is not off limits, especially if you have a yard. Go out and look at spring coming. This is not the time to be reckless, but crawling into a dark hole is not the answer, either. Stay connected beyond Facebook. Pick up the phone and call someone, why don't you?
Stay safe and be happy.
In glorious service to our Aazurn overlords,
Gary Scott Beatty
For a new colored page from Welcome to Dunwich this week, join me on Patreon
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